Drying apparatus



Nov. 23 1926. 1,607,841

M. J. NELSON DRYING APPARATUS IIN/622707".

mm 77M Nov. 23 1926. I

M. J. NELSON DRYI NG4 APPARATU S 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed March 12 1925 Patented Nov. 23, 1926.

UNITED STATES j 1,607,841 PATENT OFFICE.

MARTIN J'. NELSON, 0F CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR 0F ONE-HALF TO GUSTAF A.

` LARSON, 0F BERWYN, ILLINOIS.

DRYING APPARATUS.

Application led March 12, 1925. Serial No. 14,900. i

My invention has reference more particularly to a device for drying clothes and the like, wherein a current of heated air is passed through a rotating drum or tumbler containing the clothes.

rlhe principal objects of my invention are to insure a more thoroufh and uniform drying of clothes and the like; to facilitate the heating of the air for use in the drying operation; to supply the heated air to the tumbler in such amanner that the current of drying air extends from end to end of the tumbler; to afford a convenient means for holdin the tumbler inoperative when it is opene u and in general to simplify, -improve an increase the efficiency vof drying apparatus of this character.

The invention consists in the novel ar rangements, constructions and devices to be hereinafter described and claimed for carrying out the above-stated objects and such other objects as will appear from the following description of a certain preferred embodiment illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein- Fig. 1 is a vertical, `transverse sectional View, taken through the drying apparatus;

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view, taken substantially on the line 2 2 of Fig. 1, with certain parts in elevation;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary perspective view of the heater;

Fig. 4 is a detail view of portions of the tumbler and casing and shows in section the locking device for holding the tumbler against movement, said device being in the released position; and

Fig. 5 is a similar view of the locking device in the locking position.

Like characters of reference designate like parts in the several views.

Referring to the drawings, the reference numeral 1 indicates a base with an upstanding frame or casing 2, which is formed at an elevated point with a substantially cylindrical housing 3, in which a correspondingly formed drum or tumbler 4 is journaled to. rotate. rlfhe respective end walls 5 of the drum or tumbler, which are preferably solid panels, have aligned stub shafts 6 and 7 secured thereto and projecting outwardly therefrom and journaled respectively in the bearings 8 and 9 with which the end walls 2 of the housin are provided.

rllhe shaft g extends beyond the bearing 9 into a case 10, which contains any convene tional form of reverse earingactuated by the pulley 11 to rotate Sie drum or tumbler 4 alternately in opposite directions.

rlhe drum or tumbler 4 is designed to contain the clothes which are dried by circulating heated air therethrough, and it is formed with a circumferential wall of screen Wire sections 12 with inwardly extending longitudinal ribs 13 therebetween, which serve in the rotation of the drum or tumbler 4 to agitate the clothes and permit the currents of air, which pass through the screen sections 12, to circulate thoroughly through the entire mass of clothes.

In order to afford access to the drum or tumbler 4 for filling and emptying same, one of the screen sections, indicated at 14, is hinged at 15-16 to one of the rib members 13 and provided at the free edge with one or more releasable latches 17 which interlock with the other adjoining member 13 or a portion of the circumferential wall of the drum 4 so as to hold the door or hinged section 14 in the closed position.

The housing 3 is provided at one side with an opening through which the door or hinged section 14 of the tumbler maybe swung to the open position shown in dotted lines at 14EL in Fig. 1, and this opening is normally closed by a door 18, which is hinged at its upper edge to the housing 4 as indicated at 19 so as to swing to the o en position shown in dotted lines at 18a in ig. 1, or to close the opening in the side of the housing 3 as shown in full lines in said figure, and said door may be held in the closed position by any convenient form of latch 20.

It is desirable when filling and emptying the drum or tumbler 4 or working with the clothes therein, that the drum or tumbler should be held against turning movement, and in order to accomplish this automatically and insure locating the drum, when stationary, in the proper position so that the drum opening registers with the opening in the housing 3, a locking member 21 is artif) ranged for operation by the hinge 16 so that when the cover or door 14 is opened, said member is projected into an opening or socket 22, preferablyreinforced, in the adjoining end wall of the housing 3.

This y,

member 21 is bored out and keyed at 30 on the end of a shaft 23, which serves as a pintle for the hinges 15 and 16, said shaft being held against turning in any convenient manner, as by pinning the end thereof adjacent the hinge 15 as at 24 in a socket 25, which is formed in the end wall of the drum 4 or in the end of the adjoining rib 13. The inner end of the member 21 is formed with a diagonal face and the movable leaf of the hinge 16 has a sleeve section 26 movable therewith on the shaft 23 and formed with a corresponding diagonal outer end face which is airanged so that when the cover or door 14 is closed, said diagonal faces fit together and permit the member 21 to be withdrawn free of the opening 22. The outer end of the member 21 is slidably engaged in an aperture of a bracket 27 which' is secured to the end of the drum 4 ande a tension spring 28, encircling the member 21 and interposed between the bracket and an. annular rib 29 on the rear end of the member, resiliently holds the locking member 21 in the retracted position. When' the door 14 is opened and the hinge 16 accordingly operated, the sleeve sec-l tion 26 is rotatedA `on the shaft 23 and the dia onal end face thereof acts as a cam l agamst the diagonal inner end face of the wall of the housing 3.

Mounted on the frame 2 above the housing 3'is a` heater casing 31, which is closed at the opposite ends by removable panels 32, the panels being held in place by screws or other suitable fasteners 33 which engage the upright flanges of angle irons 34 and 35 secured onto the walls of the heater casing. The angle`irons 35 extend across the end walls of the heater casing 31 at a considerable distance below' the top wall thereof and serve to support a heater which is indicated as a whole at 36 and includes a plurality of shells 37 of substantially the same length as theheater casing, the opposite ends of said shells resting on the respect-ive inturned flanges of the angle irons 35. Each of said shells is triangular in cross-section and comprises a bottom portion 37a and inclined side portions 37". Laterally spaced burner pipes 38 extend through the respective shells 37 and are connectedl with a feed pipe 39. said burner pipes having jet apertures at intervals therealong. The triangular-shaped shells 37 are spaced apart somewhat so as to provide, therebetween at the outer sides thereof, slots or openings 40 to admit air at both sides of each of the shells 37. Parti-` here it is exhausted through the passage-V way 45 into the top of the,4 housing 3.

For enforcing circulation of air through the heating device and the tumbler, an eX- haust fan 46 is mounted on the base 1 belowy the housing 3 and a large outlet, at the bottom of the housing 3 and substantially midway between the ends of the housing, is con nected by the duct 47 to the exhaust fan intake. This fan may be operated in any convenient manner, a pulley 48 being shown in the present case, whereby a belt connection may be made from any convenient source of power.

One side wall of the heater casing 31 below the heater 36, is provided with a large opening, which may be closed by a screen 49 if desired, to admit air to the under side of the heating device for passage through the heating channels, and it will be understood that when the` exhaust fan 46 is in operation and clothes have been placed in the tumbler 4 and the latter is rotated back and forth, the exhaust fan will draw air in through the screened opening 49, past the side walls ofthe heater shells 37, where the air will be heated to the proper temperature to effect satisfactory drying, and after being heated, the air is directed downwardly through the passageway 45 through the tumbler 4 and the clothes therein and then exhausted through the fan 46.

The partitions 41, 42, 43 and 44 may be supported in proper relation to the shells 37 in any desired manner, for example, by a plurality of angle clips 50 fastened to the panels 32. Air is admitted to the burner chambers in the respective shells 37 for combustion purposes through openings 51, which are provided in the removable panels 32 and suitably located so as to register with the bottom portions of the ends ofP the heater shells 37 said openings, however, being terminated somewhat below the upper extremities of the triangular-shaped shells 37 whereby the air heated in the shells 37 is to a considerable extent trapped in the upper portions thereof thus maintaining the sides of the heater shells at an eiicient temperature. The side wallsof each of the shells 37 are provided near their upper extremities with a series of small vent openings 52 (see Fig. 3).

The passageway 45, through which the iso I heated air enters the tumbler housing, ex

tends from end to end of the housing so that the blast of air entering thehousing 3 extends the full length of the tumbler 4 and thus serves to subject the clothes in all parts of the tumbler uniformly to the drying operation. The partition 41 which forms a side wall of the passageway 45, is convergently arranged with reference to the wall 521 which forms the other side wall of the passageway and gives to'said passageway, in transverse section, somewhat of a nozzle shape to concentrate the air and cause it to enter the housing somewhat in the form o`f a blast. rIhe partition 41, which forms a permanent part of the heater casing, serves as an outer wall of the air space at the side of the innermost heater shell 37, and is maintained by reason of its proximity to the heating elements, in a heated condition, and thereby heats the passageway 45 through which the air enters the tumbler.v

It will be noted that all air entering the drying chamber is first heated by reason of the location of the passageways at the sides of the heater shells and throughvhich the air must irstpass. It'will be noted that the area of the opening in the housing Which is normally closed by the door 18 is much greater than the area of the opening which is covered by the screen 49, which arrangement in conjunction with the location of the passageway 45 provides for automatic control of the air currents throughthe drying chamber when the door 18 is opened. Upon opening the door `18 the suction of the fan is satisfied by cold air drawn in through the closer and larger ,opening and the circulation of the heated air practically ceases. The heated air is, therefore, under control,

s there being no opportunity for it to rush out into the face of the operator.

While I have shown and described my in-4 vention in'a preferred form, I am aware that various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the principles of my invention, the scope of which is to be determined by the appended claims.

I claim:

1.v In a drying apparatus of the class described, the'combination of a casing having an inlet at the top extending from end lto end thereof and an outlet at the bottom, an exhaust fan connected'with the outlet for withdrawingjair from the interior` of the casing, av heater casing superposed on and extending from end to end of the first menj tioned casing and extending over the aforesaid inlet' opening, heating means in the heater casing having a plurality of air heat-- ing passageways opening into a common minating below the top wall of the heater casing, and a drum journaled in the first mentioned casing and extending lengthwise of the inlet opening and having screen-like circumferential walls.

2. In a drying apparatus of the class described, the combination of a casing, va drum journaled to rotate in said casing and having screen-like walls, a heating device comprising a plurality of laterally spaced elongated burners in individual elongated compartments of triangular-shaped cross sec; tion, said compartments being interposed between and separated from convergent air passageways, and means adapted to draw air upwardly through said passageways and downwardly through the drum in the casing.

3. In a drying apparatus of the class described, the combination of acasing having a drum with reticulated circumferential walls journaled to rotate therein, a heater casing mounted on and extending from end to end of the first mentioned casing and having oppositely inclined pairs of substantially parallel partitions forming elongated chambers of triangular-shaped cross section having a separate air space, open at the top and bottom, extending upwardly at both sides of each chamber, a common duct leading from said air spaces into the first mentioned casing, a burner pipe extending lengthwise in each triangular-shaped casing, and a blower for circulating air through the air spaces lof the heater and through the drum in the first mentioned casing.

4. In a drying apparatus of the class described, the combination of a casing having an opening, a door for closing said opening,

a container journaled to rotate in the casingl and having a corresponding opening provided with a door, means operated by the opening of the latter door to lock the container against rotation, an air heater, and a blower for circulating air from the heater through the drum in the casing.

5. In a drying apparatus of the class described, the combination of a casing, a drum journaled to rotate in the casing and having a hinged door affording access to the drum, a locking member on the drum adapted to be projected outwardly therefrom by the opening movement of the door, and a socket in the casing adapted to be engaged by the locking member.

6. Ina drying apparatus of the class described, the combination of a casing, a drum journaled to rotate in the casing, aA door hinged on the drum and affording access 7. 1n a drying apparatus of the class described, the combination ofV a casing having an opening and a door for closing same,'a drum journaled to rotate in the casing and 5 having an opening with a, 6.0011 for closing same, said latter door being adapted to swing through the opening inV the casing meneuto `the open positio, and intereng'aging means on the casing and drum and operable by the drum door to interlock the drum and 1U casing when the drum opening is` at the opening in the casing.

MARTIN J. NELSON. 

